Memphis Grizzlies: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA offseason
By Alec Liebsch
After a rough 2018-19 season where the Memphis Grizzlies were forced to tear it down, they pivoted well to kick off their rebuild.
No one likes rebuilding. After seven straight playoff berths from 2011-17, the Memphis Grizzlies learned the hard way that they had to rebuild and not simply retool around franchise cornerstones Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
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Their first season of futility, 2017-18, was argued as an injury-riddled season, an excuse to not totally blow it up. Memphis finished 22-60 and “earned” the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
It was here that they acquired Jaren Jackson Jr., a shooting and shot-blocking big who looks the part of a modern 5.
Triple J’s rookie season was where the front office finally embraced a rebuild. On the day of the 2019 trade deadline, Grizzlies’ brass bit the bullet and shipped out Marc Gasol, Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green for assets.
This summer, the front office embraced the tear down even more and have a clear direction in place. Let’s take a look at what all these moves truly mean.